Ebony Wright

1. The posted daily schedule, is as follows.

8:45 Arrival
Put back packs away, get folders out. Wash hands, quiet activity, trace name, read books,
puzzles etc..Play “clean up” song for transition from arrival activities.
9:00 arrival circle
Play “good morning song,” talk about theme, talk about vocabulary words that were
introduced on Monday. Read book to students. Line up for recess.
9:10-9:40 (recess)
9:40-10:00 wash hands, snack. Read books at table
10:00-11:10 -centers.
Areas of the room that the children are allowed an allotted time to do what they enjoy.
Reading, playing, art, math, puzzles, computer activities, or
quiet time.
11:10-11:25 talk about the centers.
They ask 3 to 4 children what they did, and according the day of the week do show and
tell, sing songs, etc.
11:25-11:30 dismissal.
Pass out information folders to take home and line up preparing to
go home.

2. Instruction is done in small groups, centers and individually.

3. Their teaching style is a combination of one teach one support and one teach one observe.

4. The teachers used all three learning modalities. For example, while learning the letter of
the day, they visually used large letters that stuck on the board, with bold colors.
Auditorily,
the students would sing a song for that letter listening for similar words and distinct
Ebony Wright

differences with letter combinations. Kinetically, they had students bring in something
that
started with that letter incorporating all three senses. To enhance their learning
experience.

5. Many of the students were very involved and into the lessons. However, some
students needed guidance, hints and engagement to maintain their focus.

6. If any students were isolated it was for a short time and were allowed to continue with the
group at a later time because they were in resource and still did all the activities they
missed, mostly just snack time.

7. The teachers were very creative with their time. Allowing the class to flow smoothly.
They
used transitional activities to maintain the children’s focus and flow from one topic to the
next with very little interruptions.

8. During transitions, an attention getting song would be played. One for the start of the day,
one for cleaning up, and one for saying goodbye. The children knew exactly what to do
when the heard these songs.

9. Just as in transitioning the teacher used hands on head, eyes on me to get their attention.
This action cued the student to freeze, stop talking listen and focus on the teacher to
reprimand, say something informative, or move on to the next lesson/activity. This was
very effective.

10. Behavior issues were rare but extreme when they happened. Some children would fall out
on the floor and refuse to move. They would first make sure the area was safe for them
and
Ebony Wright

urge other children to stay away and keep child away from things that may hurt them.
During this time, they would try to get the child to reflect and see themselves. Asking
self-awareness and reflective questions like. “Is that nice?’ and “How do you think that
would make someone else feel?’ Some behavior was not bad but alienating. One
goal was getting students to interact with other students by having group discussions,
asking a student questions, they may know and answer, putting them out of their comfort
zone. This helped them overcome their want to be secluded and uninvolved.

11. Procedurally, following a regimen with close adherence to time, helps the children
develop
a routine for daily life at school and at home. Having a routine is the biggest aid in
learning
I’ve seen. Coming in and knowing exactly what to do with a few transitional prompts,
allows for better use of time, without constantly reminding them what they should be
doing,
where to go, and how to act. This leads to fewer distractions and creates a better learning
environment for all involved.